Politics

Budget Protesters Try to 'Awake the State,' Again

Rallies target legislators' district offices; anger simmers over pension 'tax'
By: Kenric Ward | Posted: May 10, 2011 3:55 AM
Awake the State rally in Fort Lauderdale, May 10 400x180150 Awake the State protesters rallied in Fort Lauderdale Tuesday.
It's all over but the shouting and the honking. Three days after the 2011 Legislature adjourned, union members and liberal groups plan to rally Tuesday outside selected legislators' district offices and on streets across Florida.

The "Awake the State" campaign, which drew some 10,000 protesters in 30 cities on the session's opening day, expects to stage follow-up demonstrations in 24 communities this time around.

Tallahassee organizer Barbara DeVane said protesters oppose the newly approved state budget that "imposes devastating cuts to education, health care, social programs and environmental protection."

The Legislature's $69.7 billion budget was not quite $1 billion smaller than the previous year's, and nearly $4 billion more than Gov. Rick Scott proposed.

Among the legislative district offices targeted for rallies: Senate President Mike Haridopolos (Melbourne); Reps. Jeff Brandes (St. Petersburg), John Wood (Haines City), Seth McKeel (Lakeland), Clay Ford (Pensacola), Carlos Lopez-Cantera (Miami), and Dennis Baxley (Ocala).

“While politicians paid lip service to improving the job climate in Florida, at the end of the day, all they did this year is make it tougher for our state to recruit quality teachers, nurses, first responders and other vital service workers. And they’re gonna hear about it from Florida voters,” said Broward rally co-organizer Franco Ripple.

(See list here for times and locations of all "Awake the State Again" rallies.)

In Tallahassee, DeVane said motorists will be encouraged to honk their horns in front of the Old Capitol from 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday.

DeVane and the "Awake the State" organizers were particularly irked by passage of a pension-reform bill requiring government employees to pay 3 percent of their salaries toward their retirement fund.

"The budget unfairly taxes the middle class including teachers, nurses and firefighters, while handing out tax breaks to corporations," she said.

Prior to passage of the pension bill -- which was less robust than Scott's call for a 5 percent contribution and did not include his proposal to put all new hires on 401(k)-style retirement plans -- Florida remained the lone state to fully fund its public-employee retirement system.

Robin Stublen, who led a tea party rally at the Old Capitol on the opening day of the Legislature, said, "Democrats need to wake up" to new fiscal realities.

"Individuals paying into their own retirement as an investment is not a tax increase. Cutting the budget a little more than last year's budget is not devastating -- unless you are one who has bellied up to the public trough for years," said Stublen, who resides in Charlotte County.

While "Awake the State" boasts 7,434 Facebook "likes," online sign-ups for Tuesday's rallies pointed to smaller turnouts than those in early March.

"Democrats have a distorted view of grass-roots," Stublen said. "True grass-roots do not depend on George Soros or the Florida Democratic Party to pay for their protests."

DeVane, a retired teacher and lobbyist for the National Organization for Women, said the Tallahassee rally is getting support from "all the unions," including AFSCME, AFL-CIO and the Florida Education Association.

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Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.

Comments (12)

dr steve godfrey
8:04AM MAY 11TH 2011
Republicans trying to stop over 800,ooo citizens from the vote ! How typical ! Reform the vote by stopping half the people from getting to vote. 90 % of these laws will be over turned in court!

Republicans in charge are idiots! Anti-people, anti-environment, anti-poor !
Well I was reading Rick Scott's life story-it is interesting that Scott did get his GED after 7 tries .
Andrew
8:50AM OCT 11TH 2011
I really like you post thanks for sharing, Great work! university geds | highschool diplomas
wcgreen
7:34AM MAY 10TH 2011
I waited through a traffic light by the last Awake the State rally in Clearwater; this was about one hour after it began. Forty or so people milling around holding signs with one man with a bullhorn who was addressing the protesters (could not hear what he was saying even with my windows open).

They seemed spiritless and lacking enthusiasm. At least the Tea Parties bring their A game to a rally.
RepublicanConscience
8:23AM MAY 10TH 2011
The difference is the Tea Party has public support.
RepublicanConscience
7:28AM MAY 10TH 2011
The problem with the protesters are they actually believe they are entitled to someone else's money. The union killed the [filtered word] that lays the golden eggs. Don't blame the legislature, blame your union. Go protest there.
RepublicanConscience
7:24AM MAY 10TH 2011
They can scream and stomp their feet. If that don't work they can hold their breath until they turn blue. I don't care. The cuts were not deep enough!!!

They are acting like spoiled brats and we should choose to ignore them.
TadM
6:35AM MAY 10TH 2011
"... Florida remained the lone state to fully fund its public-employee retirement system."... And they're pitching a fit like a bunch of spoiled children. unions and commies... same thing.
Good job, Kenrick.
6:20AM MAY 10TH 2011
Contributing to your own retirement is a prudent and fiscally responsibility for all working personnel whether public or private. To say that it hurts the middle class is ridiculous. Why should public workers get off without contributing to their own retirement? Shame on them expecting the tax payers to provide their pension as well as their (tax payers') own retirement program. It appears that they (public workers) want their cake and eat it too.
Dr. M. J. Gayden
9:03AM MAY 10TH 2011
Contributing to state employee's own retirement is not a bad thing, but balancing the State's budget on the back of its employees is not right! The cost of living has increased annually over the past 10 years but the state employees and educators have not received anything to compensate for this. An this year, not only do they not get a cost of living adjustment, salaries are reduced to balance the budget while corporations are allowed to benefit by lowering their tax rate (which has been the lowest in the country for decades) and increase their profit. This was done to stimulate the Florida economy and lower unemployment? This WILL NOT HAPPEN. Taking three percent from State employee's pay-checks will slow-down the State's economic recovery, increase real-estate foreclosures, and hurt small business. State employees’ bring-home pay is NOT CAKE. With bring home pay averaging less than $30,000; it is not much more than the poverty level. This pay-cut obviously does not affect you directly, but it will affect all citizens of Florida. The State of Florida is a large corporation, if citizens want to beleive that. Give 4,500 employees a "Pink Slip" and reduce all employees take-home-pay by three percent will not have a positive effect for any of the citizens of Florida.

So, the wealthy in the State get a benefit, while the working class continues to get ______!
Repubtallygirl
9:29AM MAY 10TH 2011
Spoken like a good little Socialist. Welcome to the real world. Arguments like yours makes us who were sympathetic turn against you.
BM
4:45AM MAY 10TH 2011
Imagine that, a union backed group led by a lobbyist complaining that they are being treated like the rest of us. Looks like Ms. Stublen is correct when she talks about someone paying for their protests.
dr steve godfrey
8:00AM MAY 11TH 2011
Gov Scott is the most corrupt governor with the lowest approval rating in 150 years !!!
he is stiil paying his 800 million in fines for corruption-! he is the Fox in charge of the Hen House !